In modern internal combustion engines, fuel injection systems typically include a plurality of fuel injectors. A fuel rail supplies fuel to the fuel injectors. A typical fuel rail will include several sockets, within each of which is mounted a fuel injector. Thus, multiple fuel injectors typically share and are supplied with fuel by a common fuel rail. The fuel injectors are sequentially actuated to deliver fuel from the fuel rail to the inlet port of a corresponding engine cylinder according to and in sequence with the operation of the engine. The sequential operation of the fuel injectors induces variations in pressure and pressure pulsations within the common fuel rail.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,500; the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a fuel rail that includes a conventional fuel rail damper disposed within the fuel rail. Conventional fuel rail dampers are typically formed by a tube that is hermetically sealed and is impervious to fuel. One or more walls of the fuel rail damper flex in response to rapid pressure pulsations within the fuel rail. The flexing of the one or more walls of the fuel rail damper adsorbs energy from the pressure pulsation to thereby reduce the speed of the pressure wave and the amplitude of the pressure pulsation/spike.
Proper positioning of the fuel rail damper within the fuel rail is important for proper distribution of fuel to the fuel injectors. There are numerous features described in prior art fuel rail dampers for positioning the fuel rail damper within the fuel rail. However, these features described in the prior art for positioning the fuel rail damper within the fuel rail suffer from one or more shortfalls such as being complex to manufacture and assemble, being costly to manufacture, resulting in unsatisfactory performance, and allowing axial movement of the fuel rail damper within the fuel rail over the range of acceptable manufacturing tolerances of the fuel rail and the fuel rail damper.
What is needed is a fuel rail assembly which minimizes or eliminates one or more of the shortcomings as set forth above.